Steam spirals with a honeyed grace
Red shadows knit a gentle space;
A kettle hums of mountain rain
The cups receive a calmer brain
We pour the patience trees admire
Not boiling rage but tempered fire;
Astringent leaves refine the sweet
As contrasts learn to share a seat
Conversation finds its breath
No race with time no feud with death;
We steward warmth with modest art
And keep a hearth inside the heart
The final sip leaves nothing less
Than room for truth and littleness;
The maple porch releases sound—
Quiet makes ordinary crowned